Mr. LIEBELER. Tell me everything that you can remember about that
subject that Marina told you.
Mrs. HALL. That was the only thing that was worrying me, her to not
have children, because they are in such bad shape, and that is the only
thing she told me.
And I said, "If you think you want any more." So it is none of my
business, you know.
Mr. LIEBELER. Is that all that Marina said about that subject?
Mrs. HALL. We didn't talk any more, because it was my suggestion to her
to not have children, and she told me that, and that was all.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she ever tell you that Oswald would--was not very
much of a man in that sense?
Mrs. HALL. Yes. That is what she told me.
Mr. LIEBELER. They very seldom had sexual relations?
Mrs. HALL. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever discuss that question with her any other
time?
Mrs. HALL. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you form an impression as to how Lee and Marina were
getting along with each other at the time that Marina lived in your
house, other than what we have already talked about?
Mrs. HALL. No. Couple of times I told her, "Why do you argue with him
about little things," and she said, "Oh, because he is not a man." That
is what she told me. For instance, I like hot peppers and he didn't
like it. Well, is nothing wrong with a man who doesn't like peppers.
John doesn't like it at all. And at the table they were eating, and I
ate the peppers, and he wouldn't touch, and she said, "He is afraid of
everything, hot peppers."
And he said, he don't like it, and they had argument about that. And
after he left I said, Marina, you shouldn't do that because, well, some
people like them and some don't."
Well, things like that, she would start with him and they had an
argument. Probably if I wouldn't be there, they would have a fight or
something.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever have the feeling that Marina was a good wife
to Oswald, or did you have the feeling that she was not particularly a
good wife?
Mrs. HALL. Well, she is a little bit lazy one, and she can sleep 48
hours a day. That is the only thing. And maybe they had trouble
because of this and little things, like I said about the peppers and so
on.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever see or hear of Marina making fun of Oswald
in front of other people?
Mrs. HALL. Who?
Mr. LIEBELER. Marina making fun of Lee?
Mrs. HALL. Oh, yes; she would do it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Can you think of any specific examples?
Mrs. HALL. She always was complaining about him. He was not a man. He
is afraid. I don't know, not complete, I guess, or something like that.
Not complete man.
Mr. LIEBELER. This may not seem to be too important, but we are not
just curious, it might have a bearing on the Commission's determination
of what kind of man Oswald was and what kind of person he was.
Did Marina make fun of Oswald's sexual inability in front of other
people, or was it a more general thing?
Mrs. HALL. Generally. I never heard sexual nothing; no. Only when I
asked her about this, she told me. And that was, we don't talk any more
about this. I didn't hear it. Maybe somebody else did. I didn't.
Mr. LIEBELER. You had the feeling, I gather from what you said, that if
there were difficulties in the Oswald marriage, they were not entirely
Lee Oswald's fault? It also would be some of the fault of Marina?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What is your opinion?
Mrs. HALL. I think that she is stubborn, real stubborn, and she would
pick up something little and go on and have an argument for nothing.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever hear them argue about politics?
Mrs. HALL. No, sir; I never did discuss politics because I saw the
Marx books and everything on his table, and I never did even go to a
conversation with him. But sometimes I would ask her, "How is life in
Russia?"
And well, she would tell me that nothing, in what you go to the
restaurant, and they don't have food, and things like that and he would
get mad at her. "That is not true. They have everything." And so on.
And she would tell, I guess, the truth, and he wouldn't like that.
Mr. LIEBELER. Oswald sometimes expressed a more favorable view of life
in Russia than Marina did?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was that a common thing for them to argue about?
Mrs. HALL. Well, they didn't argue, but when I was asking questions,
she would tell the truth, and he would say, "No; that is not true in
Russia. It is better" something. Not all the people think----
Mr. LIEBELER. You mentioned these books that you saw in Oswald's
apartment. Do you remember any specific names of these books or
magazines that you saw?
Mrs. HALL. No; I don't, but I know some of them belonged to the
downtown library, Fort Worth Library.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember whether these books related to particular
subject matter? Were they books about Marxism and that sort of thing?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. You do remember that?
Mrs. HALL. Yes; I remember one of the books was real thick and black, I
think. I don't remember any names.
Mr. LIEBELER. You don't remember the specific names of any of the books?
Mrs. HALL. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you speak Russian, Mrs. Hall?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever talk to Lee Oswald in Russian?
Mrs. HALL. All the time.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you form an opinion of his ability to use the Russian
language?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What was that?
Mrs. HALL. Very good. I think he talked very good Russian. He could
read and write and everything. And he, in fact, a few times I told him,
I said, Lee, why don't you speak in English with Marina and let her
learn English?"
And he said, "No. Then I am forgetting my Russian." I said, "You don't
need the Russian language now in the United States. She needs English."
And he said, "No, I won't." He never will talk English to her.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you also speak to Marina in Russian?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What kind of command of Russian did she have? How well
could she speak Russian?
Mrs. HALL. Very well.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was she better able to speak Russian than Lee Oswald?
Mrs. HALL. Yes; of course.
Mr. LIEBELER. But in your opinion, Lee did have a good command of the
Russian language?
Mrs. HALL. Very good.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was it grammatically correct, would you say?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Is your own command of the Russian language good, would
you say?
Mrs. HALL. I thought it was good, and I think it is good, I don't know.
Mr. LIEBELER. What language did you learn as a child?
Mrs. HALL. Russian.
Mr. LIEBELER. So that was the first language you spoke, is that right?
Mrs. HALL. We spoke Russian in our home, and I was in French school.
Then I was in Russian school again.
Mr. LIEBELER. You also speak French?
Mrs. HALL. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What is your language in Iran? Iranian?